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NEWS photo Mike Wahetield

NATALIE TEHAR, a recent graduate of BCIT’s Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Program, helped the Seymour Hatchery
release 27,000 two-year-old steelhead trout into the Seymour River Wednesday. The steelhead is the seagoing version of
the rainbow trout. The fish, which are expected back to spawn in two to three years, should be released if caught now.

Parents biast District 44’s decision to close special-needs diagnostic centres

FRUSTRATED PARENTS, children

cand teachers jammed Tuesday

night(s North Vancouver School
District 44 (NVSD) meeting demand-
ing the board reverse its decision to
close the district's two diagnastic
centres for special-needs students.

NORTH VANCOUVER
SCHOOL BOARD
By Bruce Methven

The closure of special-aeeds facilities at
Canyon Heights elementary school and Eeote

Andre Piola, which will save the district an
estimied $340,000, follows a series of stat
and service reductions in District 44 since
June 1992.

At that ume. NVSD had 10.6 teachers
supporting elementary learning disabled (LD)
students,

In Api] 1994, NVSD announced the elim-
ination of all services for elementary LD stu-
dents and cancelled the positions of elemen-
lary learning resource team members. diag-
nostic centre teachers and a French diagaostic
teacher. Only one psychologist position
remains proposed for September 1994,

tna brief to the District 44 board, Judy
Thompson of the North Vancouver chapter of
the Learning Disabilities Association said the

cuts outlined in the 1994-95 budget “will
cause serious problems for all learners in our
district,”

She said that reducing elementary support
staff in the district would make it “virtually
impossible” for the majority of LD students
to gain the skills necessary for learning.

“The long-term consequences will be con-
Uinual underachievement, poor self-tmag
depression and anti-sectal behavior,” she
said.

District 44 schaat board chairman Patricia
Heal said. “These children have to be served
by the school system, but they will have ta be
served ina different manner than is in place
su far.

“Over the last vo or three vears, we hive

cut this system to the bone, This vear we ute
cuding the bene.”

North Vancouver. Teachers’ Association
(NVTA ) president Reith Denley deseribed
the absolute need for resource ceatres. “The
BCTE is espousing a position thar main-
streaming may not be the most appropriate
course for all children. Early tearning: prob-
lems do not disappear as a child ages.”

Teacher, Bev Shtenko. who works at the
Canyon Heights special-needs diagnostic
centre. said that since the diagnostic program
was set up in 1977, demand has been continu:
cus and increasing steadily.

According to Shtenka, the centte provides

See Cost page 3

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